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Your eyelids play a critical role in keeping your eyes healthy, providing a protective shield against dirt and debris while continuously lubricating your eyes with your tears. They can also play a role in your appearance: Droopy eyelids can quickly age you or make you look tired and worn out.
Fortunately, eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) can help by eliminating sagging skin and restoring your eyelids to their natural, more youthful positions. In this post, cosmetic surgery specialist Nicholas Eversten, DO, and our team at Luminary Dermatology offer a quick overview of blepharoplasty and how it can help you look — and feel — more youthful.
Why eyelids sag and droop
When we’re young, our skin benefits from plenty of collagen and elastin, proteins that support skin and keep it firm and resilient. But as we age, production of both proteins declines, and years of sun exposure weakens collagen and elastin fibers, too. The result: sagging skin and an increase in wrinkles, lines, and droopiness.
At the same time, the muscles that support our facial features weaken. Years of facial expressions take their toll, too. Combined with the declines in collagen and elastin, these changes in facial musculature can cause sagging, particularly in your eyelids and brow area.
The skin around your eyes and eyelids is thinner than the skin in the rest of your face. That means these changes can be especially noticeable — and it’s also why sagging eyelids can quickly make us look tired, worn out, and a lot older.
Benefits of blepharoplasty
Blepharoplasty is uniquely designed to address droopy, sagging lids so your eyes look more alert, awake, and youthful. Best of all, techniques are available for both upper and lower lids, so you can focus your treatment on the issues that are most important to you.
Upper eyelid blepharoplasty
Upper eyelid blepharoplasty uses special surgical techniques to remove excess skin and fatty tissue that make your lids unnaturally heavy. Dr. Eversten repositions weak or sagging lid muscles, gently elevating lids and restoring your natural lid line for a more youthful appearance.
Upper lid blepharoplasty is ideal for people with severe sagging that causes problems with vision, and it also eliminates the “hooded” appearance that often occurs as we age.
During an upper eyelid procedure, the incision is made in the eyelid’s natural fold or crease. Afterward, any resulting scar will be hidden in the crease, making the correction invisible to anyone but you and your doctor.
Lower eyelid blepharoplasty
Lower eyelid blepharoplasty addresses drooping as well as bags or puffiness under your eyes. During this procedure, Dr. Eversten makes an incision inside the lower lid where any resulting scar will be hidden. Then he removes excess fatty tissue and skin that causes under-eye bags and that “perpetually tired” look.
Depending on your goals, both upper and lower lids can be treated in a single procedure, or you may choose to have only upper lids or only lower lids addressed. Many people find treating both upper and lower lids restores their natural eye shape, providing a more symmetrical, balanced appearance that boosts their confidence, too.
Feel more confident as you age
Drooping lids may be a natural part of aging for many of us, but that doesn’t mean we have to put up with it. To learn more about blepharoplasty and how it can help restore your youthful look, book an appointment online or over the phone with our team at Luminary Dermatology. Choose the office closest to you: Arcadia, Miami, Bradenton, Homestead, Sarasota, Venice, Longboat Key, or Northport, Florida.